Prosthetic and Orthotic Licensure in Missouri?

Today's cover story from O&P Business News discusses various efforts to get licensure laws passed in states across the nation. Now, only 12 states, excluding Missouri, require prosthetists and orthotists to be licensed. That means that anyone can fit an arm, leg, or brace here in St. Louis!

P&O Care's practitioners are licensed in Illinois and certified by the American Board for Certification in Prosthetics and Orthotics. We are also certified to train prosthetic and orthotic residents coming out of graduate school at Northwestern University in Chicago. Missouri needs a licensure law for the field of prosthetics and orthotics.

State by State: Licensing in O&P

O&P Business News delves into the debate over mandatory state licensure. Is this where the profession is headed?

By Stephanie Z. Pavlou

On the heels of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) announcement that all orthotic, prosthetic and pedorthic facilities must obtain accreditation by Sept. 30, 2009, professionals across the United States are wondering if licensure also will become mandatory. O&P Business News explores this standard, its benefits and its practical applications.

Licensing by state

According to the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists’ Orthotic & Prosthetic Licensure: A Comprehensive Guide, licensure benefits the patient through established criteria for education and experience.

“Licensure requirements are in the best interests of the profession in that they give official status to the practice of the profession, establish a recognized scope of practice for orthotists and prosthetists, and will be recognized by other health care practitioners in crossover of patient care responsibilities,” the Academy wrote in the Guide.

With initial costs ranging from $20,000 to $100,000, licensure has not been a state priority. In addition, ongoing costs can run between $100 and $800 for individual practitioners or for facilities, depending on if the facility owner decides to pay for each practitioner in the office.

A dozen states, however, have stepped forward to pave the way for the rest. Currently, O&P practitioners are required to be licensed in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington. Tennessee became the 12th state to pass a licensure bill in 2006, and enacted the law this January; O&P members are working to finalize its provisions.

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